Black History Month kicks off at University of Redlands at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14, with a dialogue on interracial relationships. The informal gathering, sponsored by the Multicultural Center, will be a time for sharing experiences of interracial relationships. The discussion will be held at Fairmont Hall.

Another interactive event will be hosted at the Multicultural Center from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20. "Being Black at U of R" will be an informal discussion of the issues and experiences of black students at the university. The session is open to all.

"Sisters' Day," a tribute to African-American women, will be observed on Friday, Feb. 23. An evening reception will be held from 5-8 p.m. at Alumni House to honor the African American women at the university-students, faculty, administrators and staff. The reception is co-sponsored by Rangi Ya Giza (RYG)-which means "a darker shade" in Swahili-and the Multicultural Center.

The movie "Buffalo Soldiers" will be shown at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, in the Cal-Founders lobby with a discussion to follow. "Buffalo Soldiers" is about an all-black U.S. Calvary troop during the Civil War.

As a fitting close to Black History Month, the annual African-American Association (AAA) Black History Month Dinner will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 1, at Orton Center. An evening of music, entertainment, presentations by AAA members and other students and tributes to influential African-Americans will celebrate the black culture in America.

The African-American Association's second annual Talent Show Extravaganza will be held at 8 p.m. the next day, Friday, March 2, at a location to be announced. The talent show is billed as "an opportunity for anyone and everyone to show off their stuff in a friendly atmosphere."

Black History Month is "a time for us to share the African-American culture with others-a way for our history to be told," said senior Tiffany Bailey, director of the university's Inter-Cultural Awareness Program. "Maybe the film 'Buffalo Soldiers,' the discussions and Sisters' Day will give people on campus a new perspective … help them to see things through the our eyes."

Black History Month was founded as Negro History Week in 1924, with the weeklong observance becoming Black History Month in 1976. Negro History Week was first envisioned by historian Carter G. Woodson in 1915, but it was not until 1924 that it was celebrated. It was held during the second week of February to honor two Americans who affected blacks tremendously during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is Feb. 12, and Frederick Douglass, whose birthday is Feb. 14.

"Black History Month allows us to acknowledge and celebrate our African-American community in a way that we can celebrate and learn," said Juan Carlos Astorga, director of multicultural affairs at the university.

For more information, call Tiffany Bailey at (909) 307-7113 or Juan Carlos Astorga at (909) 793-2121, ext. 6336.

###